Rage & Killian (6 page)

“I don’t know,” she confessed with blunt honesty. “If you know my past then you have to realize that I don’t have much experience with relationships. I don’t understand the rules to the game.”

With a low groan, Rage surged upward to claim her lips in an openmouthed kiss that was hard with unrestrained hunger. She could taste the musk of his cat. Feel the heat of his need blazing through her like wildfire.

Any lingering hesitation was seared away.

“This is no game to me,” he whispered against her lips. “Not this time.”

Her hips arched upward in blatant invitation. “Why is it different?”

“Because my cat has never been so hungry for a female.”

She retained enough self-preservation to flinch at his possessive tone. The only thing in her life she was certain of was the fact that she couldn’t depend on anyone but herself.

Something she was in danger of forgetting.

“Just for tonight,” she warned, scraping her nails up his back. She exulted in his violent shudder of pleasure. “As soon as I’m done with the hack, you’ll return to the Wildlands and I’ll stay here.”

“Lucie,” he breathed. “Can we enjoy a few hours together before you start talking about getting rid of me?”

“I just don’t want you thinking…”

She forgot how to speak as his mouth skimmed restless kisses along the length of her neck, over her breasts, and down the clenched muscles of her belly.

“Let’s make a mutual promise to stop thinking,” he rasped. “It’s a highly overrated habit.”

It was, Lucie discovered when his tongue dipped into her belly button. Why think when it was much better just to feel the shocking throb of longing between her legs, the clever fingers that knew exactly where to touch, the warm brush of his lips, the hard promise of his cock…

It was like standing in the middle of a violent inferno with no desire to avoid being burned.

“I promise not to think, if you promise not to stop,” she managed to breathe.

Chapter 4

Rage gave a low chuckle.

Stop? He was fairly certain that nothing on the face of this earth could make him stop. Not when his body was primed and ready to please this female.

Of course, he would prefer if there wasn’t still a hint of wariness deep in her eyes. And that he sensed she would flee in terror if he confessed that his cat was more than just hungry for her.

That it had decided to claim her for his own.

Right now, beggars couldn’t be choosers. He would take what he could get until he could convince her to accept him as her mate.

Allowing his hands to glide up her bare thighs, he grasped her panties and with one jerk, he had them ripped off her body. Only then did he move so he could spread her legs, his gaze drinking in the sight of her wet pussy.

Exquisite.

A roar of approval echoed in his head as his cat took full appreciation of her naked beauty, startling Rage. He’d never had his animal so close to the surface during sex.

It was intense and intoxicating, and viciously erotic.

With a low growl, he leaned forward to stroke his tongue through her luscious cream. The taste of primroses exploded in his mouth, clouding his mind with pure lust.

He heard Lucie suck in a sharp breath as he licked her with a growing urgency, the sound filled with the same raw need that clawed at him.

“I could become addicted to your taste,” he said thickly, his hands exploring up her body to cup her breasts, his thumbs teasing her hardened nipples.

She gave a strangled groan, her hips lifting off the bed as her fingers clenched the quilt spread over the mattress.

“Rage,” she moaned.

“Yes, my sweet Lucie?”

“I want you inside me.”

Rage chuckled, giving her pussy a last, lingering taste before he was kissing his way back up her body. His cock was aching, desperate to give in to her command.

Not just to feel her slick heat wrap around him, but he wanted her skin to be marked with his scent, imprinting himself on her as he emptied his essence deep inside her.

Easily sensing his possessive animal instinct, Lucie abruptly set up. Rage tensed, afraid he might have spooked her with his hunger. But even as he prepared himself for her rejection, she was leaning forward to trail a path of wet, mind-destroying kisses over his chest, her hands grasping his hips as he jerked in shocked pleasure.

His cat understood it was her power play. She needed to feel as if she was in control of the encounter.

He hid a smile, willing to let her play as he planted his knees on each side of her hips. At least for now.

His brief spurt of amusement was lost as she spread the tormenting kisses, heading ever lower.

Rage clenched his teeth. Oh, hell. He was already close to the edge. He moaned, his desperation to toss her back on the mattress and enter her with one thrust tempered by the fierce pleasure of her maddening kisses.

Clearly enjoying her power over his body, Lucie used the tip of her tongue to trace a path from his bellybutton down to his balls. A groan was wrenched from his throat as she sucked them into her mouth, driving him to the edge of madness before she turned her attention to his aching cock.

“No more,” he rasped as she slipped the tip between her lips. He reached down to grab her shoulders and pulled her up.

She flashed a smug smile before he was abruptly turning her around and leaning her forward, so she was on her hands and knees. Then he grasped her hips, pulling her into the perfect position.

“Rage?” Her eyes widened with shocked pleasure as he thrust forward, and with one smooth motion, impaled himself in her damp heat. “Oh, hell.”

Smoothing his lips up her back, Rage sank his teeth into her shoulder, savoring her low moan of pleasure. Her pussy clenched around him, making him shudder with sheer bliss.

“Shit, Lucie,” he rasped. “I’m not sure how long I can last.”

Tightening his hold on her hips, Rage withdrew to the very tip before slowly sinking back into her welcoming heat. She rolled her hips at the same time and Rage muttered a curse, waging war against his looming orgasm.

Dammit. There was no way he was going to embarrass himself by coming before his female.

Quickening his pace, he reached around her body to stroke his fingers over her tender clit. The air was perfumed with her arousal, her slender body bowing beneath him as she tipped back her head and moaned in pleasure.

“Faster,” she choked out, her voice harsh as her climax neared.

Rage used his free hand to grasp her hair, turning her face so he could kiss her with savage pleasure at the same time he pumped into her with an insistent rhythm.

“Whatever you desire, Lucie,” he swore against her lips.

He plunged his tongue into her mouth, their bodies moving together with a perfect tempo. Then, with a burst of relief, he felt Lucie stiffen, her sharp cry of release echoing through the room.

Rage hissed as her climax gripped his cock, his hips pistoning as he at last gave into the wild hunger of his cat. He gave a shout of satisfaction as his orgasm exploded through him, a tidal wave of rapture rippling through his body.

* * * *

Lucie collapsed on the bed, too sated to protest when Rage stretched out beside her and possessively tugged her into his arms.

Okay. That’d been…

Stunning. Beautiful. Life altering.

And overall, terrifying.

She liked her sex straightforward and uncomplicated. No weird emotional attachments or expectations. But even as a voice in the back of her mind was urging her to panic, her body was happily snuggling against his hard body, her cat purring in utter contentment.

She would panic later, she promised herself.

After Rage had left her to return to his home.

Lost in her thoughts, Lucie didn’t realize that Rage had lifted his head to study her with a brooding gaze. Not until he broke the thick silence.

“Why did you steal my diary?”

Lucie blinked. Wow. That was not at all what she’d been expecting.

She didn’t want to talk about the childish stunt. Not because it’d been embarrassing for him. He’d only become more popular with the females after they’d decided his private musings about his lovers somehow enhanced their reputations as desirable mates. Idiots. But because it revealed how desperately obsessed she’d been.

And still was, for that matter.

Acutely aware of his deepening curiosity, she forced herself to shrug. “I was a brat,” she said in light tones.

“No.” His fingers brushed through her hair, his touch achingly tender. “You were hurt and striking out. I’m just not sure why I was singled out for public humiliation.”

“Because…” The words stuck in her throat.

“Lucie?”

She heaved a resigned sigh. He wasn’t going to let it go. Not until he coerced her into revealing the painful truth.

“Because I had a crush on you,” she grudgingly muttered.

The violet eyes shimmered with flecks of gold as the dawning sun splashed through the windows.

“A crush?”

She grimaced. She might as well confess the rest. If she were being honest, she probably owed him.

“Don’t act surprised. You had to sense that I watched you from the trees.”

“I thought you were plotting my death.”

“I was young and impressionable, and I was fascinated.” Her gaze ran over his lean, perfect features. “You were so gorgeous.”

“True.” He grunted as she elbowed him in the gut. “Ow.”

“But it was more than that,” she finished her confession. “You had a…kindness that I desperately wanted for myself.”

His teasing expression melted to one of regret, his fingers sliding over the curve of her shoulder.

“I would happily have been kind to you if you hadn’t bolted whenever I got near you,” he murmured.

She believed him. Rage might have been spoiled, but he’d never been deliberately cruel. His nature was to protect the weak and vulnerable.

“I didn’t know how to tell you,” she admitted with a wry smile. “So instead I struck out.”

His fingers drifted down her collarbone, his enticing musk scenting the air. “From now on, I have a better way for you to express your feelings for me.”

She instantly stiffened. It was one thing to confess her feelings when she’d been an idiotic youth. There was no way she was going to share the fact he’d never left her dreams.

“Who said I still have feelings for you?” she belligerently demanded, ignoring the fact that she was lying naked in his arms. “That was a long time ago.”

He chuckled, not fooled for a second. Damn him.

“Fine, then I’ll show you how I feel,” he murmured, lowering his head to brand a path of tiny kisses over her brow and down the length of her nose. Then, at last reaching her mouth, he nibbled at her bottom lip. “In fact, I intend to show you how I feel several times a night for a very, very long time to come.”

His words were no doubt the empty promises he made to every woman. We’ll be together forever, blah, blah, blah.

But they didn’t feel empty.

They felt like a pledge that resonated deep in her heart.

Instinctively, she lifted her hands to press them against his chest. “Rage.”

He raised his head, staring down at her with a fierce determination. “Do I frighten you?”

“Yes,” she admitted without hesitation. “This is all happening too fast.”

She caught a glimpse of his cat lurking in his eyes…hungry, possessive. Then, with a visible effort, he gained command of his animal.

A rueful smile touched his lips. “I know.”

“I need to check the trace.” Lucie muttered a curse, slipping out of bed and heading into the shower.

A charming Rage was as lethal as a possessive Rage.

Twenty minutes later she was scrubbed clean, with her hair braided and wearing her usual uniform of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Adding a pair of jogging shoes, she returned to the bedroom to discover that Rage had used the guest shower and was already dressed and waiting for her.

His beautiful face was carefully bland as he folded his arms over his chest. Smart male. The intimacy of the night had left her feeling raw and unnervingly vulnerable. One smartass comment and she would have him tossed out of her house.

Without a word, she left the bedroom and headed back to her hidden computer office. Acutely aware of the male prowling a few inches behind her, she slid into her chair and forced herself to concentrate on the computer screen that was blinking with success.

“I have a hit,” she murmured, resisting the urge to give her trusty computer a pat.

Not everyone understood her habit of treating her equipment like they were old friends.

Leaning over her shoulder, Rage surrounded her in his warm, male musk. “You found the bastard?”

“I located the computer that is running the auction,” she cautioned. “Whether or not the person who’s ultimately responsible for setting it up is physically there…” She shrugged. “That’s impossible to say.”

He nodded. “Where is the computer?”

“Bossier City.”

“Damn.” Rage abruptly straightened, pacing from one end to the other of the long, narrow room. “That’s where Locke was setting up the military lab.”

Lucie grimaced, easily understanding his frustration. Stanton Locke had been the human who’d been experimenting with Pantera blood and intending to share it with a military contractor. If the computer was in the same spot, it couldn’t be a coincidence.

“So the mystery man might actually have the research notes.” She spoke his fears out loud.

“Yep,” he growled.

Lucie hit a button on the keypad, then reached to the side as the printer spit out a paper with the information she’d located. Rising to her feet, she handed the printout to Rage.

“Here’s the address.”

Folding the paper, he shoved it in the back pocket of his jeans, moving to stand directly in front of her.

“The Pantera is in your debt,” he assured her, his fingers lightly tracing her jaw.

A tiny shiver raced through her. God. She loved the heat of his touch. It felt as if she’d been branded. Claimed.

So dangerous
…